you know it as well as i do that slavery is wrong. We know this because we are educated and we can distinguish the rights from the wrongs. Enslaved african american did not see slavery as being wrong. in fact, most of them seem to enjoy living under the white folks simply because they didn't know any better.
"No sir, the slaves worked very much as they pleased. I have seen him whup them. he had some unruly niggers. some of them were part indian, and mean."
This shows their optimistic view on their condition. When the slaves gets a little free time, they think they are in heaven. These little privilege brain washes them to stick by the side of their master. when their master whips a slave, it is because the slave did something wrong. It did not occur in their mind that their master might have done it out of the fact that it's within his power. For the most part, the slaves seem to side with their master.
do you think this is because they know by fact that sticking to their master is the smarter thing to do? or they just don't know any better?
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
"After we was dressed, he went outside and peeped around for a minute, then he comed back and got us. We snook out of the house and along the woods path, Pappy toting one of the twins and holding me by the hand and Mammy carrying the other two."
*close your eyes and pretend there is a soothing music playing* Now try and imagine that you're currently working at your job. The job not only have crappy pay, but your boss also beats on you. What would you do? Quit the job? Obviously. That is something that the slaves have to endure for many years. As soon as they are 4 years old, they were being sold off to the market to work. For some, they are able to endure this treatment. However, for some others, this treatment is just too much for them. This excerpt shows a family of slaves trying to escape their destiny. They are sick of the way they are treated and thus they're trying to escape from their master. Escaping the plantation is dangerous. If they get caught doing so, they will surely be killed. We can only imagine the torture they're going through if they are willing to risk the life of their own, along with the life of his family just to escape that torture.
*close your eyes and pretend there is a soothing music playing* Now try and imagine that you're currently working at your job. The job not only have crappy pay, but your boss also beats on you. What would you do? Quit the job? Obviously. That is something that the slaves have to endure for many years. As soon as they are 4 years old, they were being sold off to the market to work. For some, they are able to endure this treatment. However, for some others, this treatment is just too much for them. This excerpt shows a family of slaves trying to escape their destiny. They are sick of the way they are treated and thus they're trying to escape from their master. Escaping the plantation is dangerous. If they get caught doing so, they will surely be killed. We can only imagine the torture they're going through if they are willing to risk the life of their own, along with the life of his family just to escape that torture.
Monday, November 12, 2007
How lucky are you?
During the times of slavery, the minorities were treated horribly by their masters. For some unlucky slaves, They received whipping almost everyday just because their master have the right to do so. It is hard to imagine the goods that came out of it.
When i picked up the book called "my folks don't want me to talk about slavery" i figured that these former slaves will talk about how badly they were treated in the plantation. How their condition were, and how bad they were abused by their masters. However, as i reads deeper into the story, Some of the slaves acturally recalled how their former master were kind to them. For example, according to henry james Trentham, a former slave, he recalls how his master treated him with kindness. Mr. Trentham, owner of the slave, "looked after us when we got sick" and "we got a week holiday at chrismas." From what i've learned in history class, i didn't know that such owner existed. I thought that all the white men abused and whipping the slaves when they wanted too. This just comes to show that not all slave owners are evil. Some, like Mr.Trentham, are nice people who treats slaves with respect.
When i picked up the book called "my folks don't want me to talk about slavery" i figured that these former slaves will talk about how badly they were treated in the plantation. How their condition were, and how bad they were abused by their masters. However, as i reads deeper into the story, Some of the slaves acturally recalled how their former master were kind to them. For example, according to henry james Trentham, a former slave, he recalls how his master treated him with kindness. Mr. Trentham, owner of the slave, "looked after us when we got sick" and "we got a week holiday at chrismas." From what i've learned in history class, i didn't know that such owner existed. I thought that all the white men abused and whipping the slaves when they wanted too. This just comes to show that not all slave owners are evil. Some, like Mr.Trentham, are nice people who treats slaves with respect.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Staying alive is probably the most basic condition of any form of life....
"Miss Betsy was crabbed and hard to get along with...........There warn't but six of us slaves, but them six run a race to see who can stay out of her sight.
Young marster Joe was one of the first to go to the war, and i wanted to go with him, but i being only fourteen, they decided to send Sidney instead. i hated that, 'cause i surely wanted to go" (pg 3)
Survival is important to everyone, even to the salves. Day in and day out, their very existence is in danger. They will not know if they will live to see the next moon. In these day, slaves were being treated like an object. The owner will not think twice before destroying their property if it is of no use to them. Needless to say, the salves lived a harsh life where their life depends on their action. From this passage, It is clear that this particular group of slaves earned their life by trying to avoid interaction to the mistress. As we can see in this passage, that the subject would rather go to war than to be around her owner. The reason? it is because she assumes that her chance of survival in war is much greater than at the house. This is pretty hard to grapse.
This relationship would be similar to that of rat and cat. Rat must stay away from the cat if it doesn't have a death wish. The reason being is very clear, the cat will devour the rat if it gets it paws around it.
"Miss Betsy was crabbed and hard to get along with...........There warn't but six of us slaves, but them six run a race to see who can stay out of her sight.
Young marster Joe was one of the first to go to the war, and i wanted to go with him, but i being only fourteen, they decided to send Sidney instead. i hated that, 'cause i surely wanted to go" (pg 3)
Survival is important to everyone, even to the salves. Day in and day out, their very existence is in danger. They will not know if they will live to see the next moon. In these day, slaves were being treated like an object. The owner will not think twice before destroying their property if it is of no use to them. Needless to say, the salves lived a harsh life where their life depends on their action. From this passage, It is clear that this particular group of slaves earned their life by trying to avoid interaction to the mistress. As we can see in this passage, that the subject would rather go to war than to be around her owner. The reason? it is because she assumes that her chance of survival in war is much greater than at the house. This is pretty hard to grapse.
This relationship would be similar to that of rat and cat. Rat must stay away from the cat if it doesn't have a death wish. The reason being is very clear, the cat will devour the rat if it gets it paws around it.
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